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The next prevalent scams include: application fraud (excluding mortgages) with 1346 cases, online shopping and auctions with 675 reports, and computer software service fraud that has had 535 cases.

There is also a category of other fraud (not covered elsewhere) which stands at 947 reports, that is listed as individuals using false representation or obtaining services dishonestly.

Application fraud is when fraudsters open an account using a stolen identity or false information, and online shopping and auction fraud occurs when a product being advertised for sale either does not exist or doesn’t match the original description.

According to data released by the Office for National Statistics (ONS), bank and credit account fraud is the greatest deceptive scheme affecting the UK population, with more than 380,000 reports as of the year ending in June 2017. This is an increase of 3% on the previous year.

Fraud offences have risen over the last five years, with 510,000 cases reported in 2013 to 653,000 total accounts reported this year (2017).

In September (2017) the Government and banking industry joined forces to launch the Take Five campaign to help the public spot financial scams. The campaign highlighted the most common scams and informed the public ways to recognise them.

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Advice from the police to help customers stay safe include, never giving out your PIN, full password, personal or financial information to anyone. Always contact the companies directly using a known email or phone number, and don’t click on a link in an unexpected email or text.